2013 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHof) currently has 188 members from all genres of music, and includes notable artists such as Johnny Cash, Jack Clement, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Loretta Lynn. This October, four more artists who have reached the pinnacle of their craft will be inducted into the prestigious group.

Those new inductees include Randy Owen of Alabama, Will Jennings, Layng Martine, Jr. and Jeffrey Steele.

The NaSHOF announced that the four commendable songwriters will be inducted on October 13 at the 43rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony.

“Among all the great songwriters who have put the music in Music City, only a few are elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,” says Pat Alger, chair of the foundation’s board of directors. “This year we are delighted to bestow this honor upon Will Jennings and Jeffrey Steele in the songwriter category; Randy Owen in the songwriter/artist category and Layng Martine, Jr. in the veteran songwriter category.”

Jennings is a phenomenal songwriter — some of his most well-known songs include Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’ and Tim McGraw‘s ‘Please Remember Me.’ He’s no stranger to prestigious Halls of Fame, having been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in 2006.

Steele’s songs have been staples on the country music chart, with memorable hits such as McGraw’s ‘Cowboy in Me,’ Mongomery Gentry‘s ‘My Town’ and Rascal Flatts‘ ‘What Hurts the Most.’ Any devoted country fan would recognize those well-loved songs and many others that Steele has written over time. The writer earned CMA Triple Play Awards (for three No. 1 songs in a year) in 2007 and 2010. In an eight-year period, he has had more than 500 cuts, with 95 singles and sales of 50 million units.

As the lead singer of Alabama, Owen’s impact on country music is truly great. The talented artist has earned a dozen BMI awards for his songwriting. Along with the other band members, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His repertoire includes ‘Tennessee River’ and ‘Fallin’ Again,’ and he has earned many BMI awards for his gifted songwriting.

In addition to pop hits, Martine, had the distinguished honor of writing McEntire’s first career single, ‘I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand,’ in 1976, and his song ‘Way Down’ became a Gold single for Elvis Presley and was at No. 1 on the day Presley died. Other hits from Layng’s catalog include ‘The Greatest Man I Never Knew,’ ‘I Don’t Think Love Ought to Be That Way’ by McEntire, ‘I Wanna Go Too Far’ by Trisha Yearwood and ‘I Was Blown Away’ by Pam Tillis.

Many tremendously talented songwriters call Music City home, as indicated by past inductees, and the pure talent of the 2013 inductees is another example of the great work these artists create.

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